#shikanarusasu

Sasuke appears in front of the gate with a swirl of flames and crackling of lightning, wobbling on his feet when he arrives. Kushina shrieks in surprise, before glaring at him with mock venom. He was about to rub the back of his neck, before he realizes the braid covering said nape.  He moves the braid to a shoulder, before greeting his godparents. “Good Afternoon, Shikaku-san, Mikoto-san, I was told of your arrival, may I ask of what it would be?” he asked politely, which earned a fond rolling of violet eyes from Kushina.  “Sasuke-kun, ever so polite. Is it so bad that Kushina and I just thought of visiting our favorite godchild?” Shikaku questions, making him shake his head abruptly. “Ah, no, I was just surprised. Will we meet in a location or do we walk there as a group?”  “Let’s wait for your older brother before walking, Shikamaru and Naruto already went ahead. Minato unfortunately wouldn’t be able to make it because of Hokage duties, and Yoshino is out for a short mission in the Land of Lightning.”  He questions this, confusion and exasperation filling his whole being when he found out that somehow, Kushina and Shikaku, who are the exact people who his parents are pining for, are the ones who are destined to be his godparents. And the same people who have sons of their own, that are somehow the same age as his.  How destiny is playing with his strings, he doesn’t know. But his parents’ advice of not falling for a Nara and a Uzumaki is proving to be a difficult considering his situation.  He only nods, before the three of them wait in front of the gates, dead silent. He should have not of thought about it, because it made it very awkward. Wind whirls beside him, before flames burst, diminishing as a flock of crows as Itachi strides forward, smiling politely.  “Should we get going?” his brother asks, which his godparents nodded to, the two clan heads moving in front of the two brothers. He glares at Itachi suspiciously, the amused smirk looking far too annoying.  They enter Ichiraku Ramen, where Shikamaru and Naruto reserved seats, Kushina excitedly talking to Shikaku-san. He trails after them quietly, watching Itachi quietly add to the conversation. Clan Head matters, he realizes, remembering Itachi talking about him about Danzo. He finds politics only a tiny bit interesting, but he wouldn’t do it if someone asks him to. Except if they allow him to just talk down on the elders, he would do it in a second. He sits down in the remaining seat, somehow, somehow in between Shikamaru and Naruto. He resists the urge to throw his hands up, only pushing a strand of hair behind his ear. Naruto’s loud storytelling filling his ears as Teuchi-san places a bowl of tonkotsu ramen in front of him, which he smiles at. Shikamaru’s drawls answer to Naruto’s words, their voices mingling as the background noise, him quietly taking bites of the chashu pork belly.  “Sasuke-kun, I’ve heard that from Naru-chan that you pushed him out of the way by your last mission, I just wanted to thank you.” Kushina oba-san mentions, making him look up in surprise, ruffling his well-kept bangs.  “Hn, It’s fine oba-san, he was being an idiot anyways.” he explains, wiping his lips with a tissue. He moves the empty bowl next to Naruto’s stack, taking the half-eaten bowl Shikamaru moved, passing it silently to Naruto, who was currently defending himself on how he wasn’t a complete idiot.  Shikamaru just answers him with sarcasm, reminding him that he probably would’ve been kidnapped if Sasuke didn’t think of walking back to the town, because Naruto made it a rule to always get lost in their missions. Thanks to Sasuke, they were able to arrive on time, which saved Kurama from getting extracted from the seal.  He joins in their banter, teaming up with Shikamaru on how Shikamaru had to keep Naruto in place with his shadow technique, and that he had to subdue the Kyuubi with the Sharingan, while Kakashi-nii (sensei) fought Deidara.  Itachi snorts as he humiliates Sasuke to his godparents, telling them how he would let the young children from the clan braid his hair, that he would bring them to a training ground to help them practice. Itachi sure does find it amusing to be the one humiliating him, since their parents aren’t there to do it for him.  He laughs along as his godparents tease Shikamaru and Naruto, smirking when their cheeks look red.  He doesn’t notice the adults sharing a glance to each other, doesn’t notice Naruto’s arm around the back of his chair, or how Shikamaru smacks his thigh whenever the Nara laughs.  “Sasuke, I heard you and Gaara were doing joint missions? How has that been going?” Itachi innocently asks, which he answered with a nonchalant tone, “You know why, Itachi. I don’t know why you’re even asking me.”  He doesn’t notice the males beside him stiffening, or the jealousy swirling in their eyes. Sasuke may have avoided falling for a Nara or a Uzumaki, but the two males fell for him instead. Mikoto watching over her sons:  “Holy shit, Fugaku, look, he listened to our advice.” she murmurs, before laughing, hysterically crying when she notices the jealous teens on either side.  “He sure did.” Part 1 of this AU Part 2 of this AU

The clouds are no where to be seen against the dark blue sky, the stars and moon contrasting in a different color. Various shades  ranging from light blue to dark indigo blends together under the streetlights of the compound, the Uchiha insignia stitched to their backs. A faint light glows from the main house, four faint shadows seen through the shoji doors, silent against the bustling noise of children and adults hurrying to come home. The air in the dining room is tense, no tinkling laughs from the youngest nor the fond scolding of the mother to her sons’ mischievousness.  Mikoto Uchiha takes another bowl of miso soup to give her youngest, as Itachi’s chopsticks holds on to a piece of seared fish, Fugaku gulping down water. Sasuke thanks his mother for the bowl before leaning forwards, listening intently to his father’s story. “You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara,” Fugaku murmurs gently to his youngest, as Mikoto smiles. His big dark grey doe eyes stare at them, attention captivated and memorizing every word they spout. Silence descends on the table as he collects his bearings. He knows, that his parents married out of duty, for the clan. He was able to hear it when he passed Daisuke-oji in the clan market, making him question his parents. He later asked his parents, prompting them to explain the arranged marriage, the clan needing an appropriate wife for the clan heir, later on deciding on Mikoto. She would tell them how she missed doing missions, and his father telling stories about their battles as teens. Sasuke was angry at first, knowing that his parents didn’t marry out of love, but the more time he spent to wrap it around his head, made it easier to understand. His brother is always there to clarify it, and they would ask their parents if Itachi can’t explain. They always reassure them, that despite being in an arranged marriage, it doesn’t change the fact they both love them with their whole hearts. His parents try to be subtle in front of him, but he knows. Being an Uchiha makes it impossible to not see their longing gazes, their schooled features masking their pining, their desire to be with their true lovers. They don’t regret having them, always trying their best to shower them with love, that he appreciates. ‘I couldn’t love Fugaku at first. But I learned how, even if I like girls.’ Mikoto smiles at him, ‘Fugaku found a way to be the only exception, he became dear to my heart to the point that it would break my heart if I lose him.’ Despite being the second-born, he’s a prodigy in his own right, sharp senses and lightning fast reflexes. He can see his mother’s discreet glances when they walk through the village’s streets, always trailing after the bright red hair of his aunt Kushina. ‘I love her,’ she once murmured when she was tucking him to bed, his six-year-old brain not yet aware that she’s hinting at the hot-blooded jinchuuriki. The powerful kunoichi was able to take his mother’s heart, with her bright smiles and fierce personality, while his mother aches for hers.   His father, even if he rarely accompanies him, was too obvious for him to figure out. His eyes would soften when he sees Shikaku-san, his frowns lessening and replaced with faint smiles, his cold and distant expression disappearing. ‘Clan heirs rarely get to marry another, after all, they are there to serve for the best of their clan.’ He follows his father’s gaze, seated beside him on the porch as the sun sets, ‘It’s hard to oppose the clan for your own desire. Clan heirships can be passed to the second-born, although, Itachi already took it. So promise me Sasuke, fight for whoever you fall in love with.’ He stares at his parents grim expressions in front of him, the names Shikamaru and Naruto unspoken, their gazes heavy on his shoulders. He breathes out heavily before nodding. “I’ll try not to.” he ducks his head, as Mikoto sighs at him, before deft fingers ruffle his hair. “You don’t have to force yourself not to. As long as you try.”  They’re only looking out for him, Naruto being the only heir of Uzumaki and Shikamaru as the only child of the Clan Head.  Mikoto claps her hands, before Itachi huffs in amusement, as they start cleaning the table. He wanders to his mother’s side, helping her with the dishes, earning him a fond laugh. Fugaku rolls his eyes before leaning on the doorway of the kitchen, watching the matriarch piles the plates on the sink as Itachi and Sasuke splashes each other with suds and water.  He was 8 years old when his cousin was rescued by Tsume Inuzuka in the river barely breathing, one of his sockets empty.  He was turning 9 when he arrives in their house with his parents were killed in front of his eyes, his Sharingan activating in his horror, the vision being imprinted in his mind with clarity, while his vision blurs with tears. He screams when his parents drop dead in front of him as the hooded figure runs out the window, scrambling to keep his parents alive. He cauterizes their wounds, trying to stall their death as his hands get covered in his parents’ blood. His chakra spiked hard, being sensed throughout the village as Itachi runs full-speed to the compound, Kakashi on his tail as they both sensed the abrupt spike. It was two weeks before his birthday when he is looking blankly at the white wall in front of him, dried blood flaking off his fingers as Itachi paces in front of them, his masked ANBU teammates murmuring faintly by the door. He doesn’t spare a glance when the door opens in haste as he stares intently at the sparkling marble of the floor, the memory repeatedly showing up in the forefront of his mind.  His brother was unapproachable, jumbled thoughts and distracted, while he’s detached, unresponsive as Minato shakes him out of his stupor, worried blue eyes staring back at him. “Sasuke, calm down, deep breaths. Focus on my breaths.” he follows his uncle’s breathing, the exaggerated breaths and counting making it easier to follow, as Kushina wipes off the blood on his trembling hands. He leans back on the chair, trying to calm down his pounding heart, as Kushina soothes him, kissing his temple. Itachi is being held by Hound, his brother still against the arms wrapped around his shoulders. Kushina tucks his head under her chin as she rubs his back, the Uchiha in her lap feeling numb. Shikaku burst open the doors as the medical-nin walks out with a grim expression, “We tried to stabilize and resuscitate. Unfortunately, they have passed away.”  Sasuke’s blood runs cold, as he chokes on a breath, staring down on his shaking hands. Itachi falters, staggering to his brother as Sasuke climbs on his lap, crying. He schools hisi features to hide his grief while he comforts his brother, burying his tear-stricken face in his Sasuke’s unruly hair.  He was nine-years-old when he blows bright red flames beside Itachi on the pyre, clouded onyx eyes watching the flickering flame. He doesn’t have anymore tears to shed as clan members kneel around them, making him lean on his brother on support as they let their hands drop, standing there until the flames turns to ember. “You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara.” he distantly remembers as he walks alongside Itachi back to the house, ignoring their sopping wet clothes. Sasuke links his fingers under his chin, averting his eyes to the window to hide his pained eyes. His knuckles turn white as he senses two males settle beside him, staying quiet and reserved as Naruto talks loudly with Shikamaru, watching them from the corner of his eyes. He hides the twitch of his lips as Naruto plans the prank on their sensei, Shikamaru scolding the blond for even attempting the ridiculous idea.  The door opens, making him glance at it tiredly, only to see Kakashi. He clenches his eyes shut, before following them out the door. You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara. He chuckles deprecatingly, hopefully it doesn’t resort to that. Part 2 of this AU Part 3 of this AU